Fire department receives equipment upgrade
By Jenna Wilson
With the help of state funding and grants, new and updated equipment is continuing to roll into the St. Joseph Fire Department to keep crews and the public safe.
The disruption of supply chains spawned by the pandemic resulted in local firefighters working with worn-down gear and equipment for a few years but with more than $1 million in ARPA funds and the public safety tax, the department now has three new pumper trucks, turnout gear and other needed equipment it’s been awaiting.
“We’ve also got new fans, boots and monitors for the newer trucks that we got in,” said Kurt Fuehrer, chief of training at the fire department. “We also got a grant through AGP in the South End and they gave us $30,000 to help equip the new truck we got down there. We’ve purchased all the needed equipment for it but it’s just taking a while to get in.”
Firefighters also have 23 new sets of bunker gear which tends to need an upgrade sooner than expected due to exposure to extreme temperatures and contamination.
“The city has given us enough to fund 23 new sets every year which will get our firefighters a new set of gear every six years,” Fuehrer said. “And they can take their older set and put it into reserve as a backup set.”
Fuehrer says the cost of equipping a single firefighter can exceed $20,000. While it can be expensive, the funding has been important for ensuring firefighters can serve the community most safely.
“Fires happen often and as a result, this equipment gets used a lot,” Fuehrer said. “It goes through very harsh conditions, and we want to protect our guys and make sure we have the most functional equipment when responding to an emergency. The way to do that is every six to seven years we try to get them new stuff.”
